1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an edible thickened or gelled composition of a liquid form of food product and the method of making same. More particularly this invention relates to food of as little caloric value as desired made into spreadable or pipeable gels, ideally transparant for certain usages and opaque for others, similar in consistency to mayonnaise or butter at room temperature. The gels are made pipeable by fractioning set gels using at least a 325 mesh sieve. After fractioning the gel is remixed producing a pipeable gel.
This invention further relates to the field of ethyl alcohol and to the beverages and the other products made from less than 100% or 200 proof ethyl alcohol. More particularly this invention relates to a gelled form of such ethyl alcohol and to the method for making gelled ethyl alcohol and to the products formed from such gelled alcohol. This invention further relates to the field of ethyl alcohol and to the beverages and the other products made from less than 100% by volume or 200 proof ethyl alcohol. More particularly this invention relates to a gelled form or non-beverage form of such ethyl alcohol and to the method for making gelled ethyl alcohol and to the products formed from such gelled alcohol. The method for obtaining gelled or syrupy alcohol products, or a non-beverage form of the alcoholic beverage product from alcohol beverage products, involves the addition of or the mixing of ethyl alcohol beverage products with carboxymethylcellulose (CMC). Addition of carrageenan further increased the viscosity of the product to the degree that the product becomes a set gel and is thus moldable. Gels formed using CMC can further be made into set gels with the addition of an aluminum salt such as basic aluminum acetate (BAA) or aluminum formoacetate (AFA). Thus the non-beverage form of the alcoholic beverage product, with the addition of aluminum salt, can be made in the form of a set gel. Upon fractioning of a firm/set gel, by sieving through a fine mesh sieve, one obtains a pipeable gel i.e., one which can be dispensed through a pipe of the type used in cake decorating.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Piping gels sold in the confectionary sections of supermarkets etc. most closely resemble the instant invention. These, however, are made with around 90% cornsyrup and sugar and appear opaque if piped from a nozzle larger than 1/4 inch in diameter. Presently cornsyrup and sugars of various types have been standardly used to impart to a range of foods shape retaining properties and spreading behavior. The consistency associated with such gels implies, to most users, a high caloric content. I.e., sugars, oils or fats and milk or cheeses have been associated with the known piping gels.
According to the present invention, a spreadable or pipeable gel can be prepared, for example, with absolutely no sweetening solids such as cornsyrup or sugar and with a high degree of transparency at thicknesses that can be measured in inches. Considering the consumer's ever increasing demand for fewer and fewer calories, the instant invention will also provide a valuable alternative for the high calorie food items that have been used as additives to obtain pipeable gels.
As far as is known to the Applicant, ethyl alcohol and the products having ethyl alcohol as a basic component thereof are made into a syrup form through the admixture of substantial amounts of sugar. Such addition of sugar greatly alters the basic taste or flavor of the alcohol product and substantially reduces the per unit amount of alcohol, or the alcoholic proof, of the product. Currently there is no process for making an ethyl alcoholic beverage type of product into a syrup or gelled or molded form while still retaining the fundamental flavor or taste of the product and also substantially retaining the alcoholic content per unit of volume, or the proof of the product at the proof level of the product as it is found in the beverage form.
There has been considerable effort in the past to produce ethyl alcohol products in other than beverage form. So-called adult candies have been produced which have a very diluted alcohol base. There has been a desire by the liquor industry to expand the product line into areas other than beverages such as syrups which could be used as toppings for deserts, jam or jelly-like products for spreading, dipping or as a fondue with fruits or snack foods, molded or formed products which would maintain shape without the need for refrigeration, cream drinks, puddings, for use in cooking and the like. It has not been satisfactory or acceptable to dilute the ethyl alcohol basic component of the products by the addition of a heavy sugar-type syrup.
In U.S. Pat. No. 3,418,133, EDIBLE SPREADS OF UNCTUOUS CONSISTENCY AND LOW CALORIE VALUE there is disclosed and claimed and edible spread prepared mainly from water, sodium carboxymethylcellulose (CMC), and relatively small amounts of taste and odor imparting ingredients. The degree of substitution of the CMC is between 0.1 and 0.6 noting that the range of effective degree of substitution varies with the viscosity of the CMC. It is well known that CMC has many uses in the food industry but there is no suggestion for the use of CMC in the alcoholic beverage industry other than to impart "mouthfeel" to existing beverage types and to act as a stabilizer.
In all that has been published, including the work of Martin Glicksman, FOOD HYDROCOLLOIDS; Volume III, CRC Press, Inc. Boca Raton, Florida, there is no suggestion for the gelation of an alcohol product or beverage using either CMC alone or in combination with carrageenan. A reference has been made regarding the use of CMC in alcoholic beverages as a stabilizer and as a mouthfeel producing agent. The recommended usage of 0.50% is far too low a level to alter the state of the beverage from that of a liquid and to result in a gel form for the alcoholic product to which the CMC was added. See for example, FOOD HYDROCOLLOIDS; Vol. III, p. 50 it is noted that; "It [CMC] is insoluble in pure organic solvents. However, solubility occurs in mixtures of water and water-miscible organic solvents such as short-chain alcohols (e.g., ethanol). Table 4 shows the tolerance of various molecular weight grades of CMC to a mixed solvent system. The low-viscosity types are considerably more tolerant to increasing ethanol concentration than higher-viscosity types. CMC solutions of low concentration can be made with up to 50% ethanol or 40% acetone. Since ethanol is used to precipitate most gums during manufacture, the excellent tolerance of CMC to considerable ethanol concentration in a mixed solvent is unique. This property becomes very important in the application of CMC as a stabilizer to alcoholic beverages and instant bar mixes where clarity and viscosity are needed." [Emphasis added]. See also pp. 87-88, section c. Also on p 115 there is noted that hydroxypropylcellulose is soluble in aqueous alcohol. It is important to note that there is no suggestion to use CMC for the purpose of creating novel products only as a stabilizer and to create "mouth-feel".
The invention disclosed herein is very particularly directed toward a product and the making of a product meant for human consumption which product is substantially an alternate form of alcoholic beverage products available in the marketplace around the world. The invention disclosed herein is also very particularly directed toward a product and the making of a product meant for human consumption which product is substantially a low calorie alternate form of gelled food products which are pipeable. The alternate form or non liquid form of alcoholic beverage product can also be made as a clear pipeable gel by the methods of this invention. Applicant is aware of no other product of the type disclosed and claimed by Applicant. Neither U.S. Pat. No. 3,374,224 to Sommers, R. nor the U.S. Pat. No. 4,507,473 to Bernert et al, discloses, claims or suggests in any way the product disclosed by Applicant herein. Both substantially teach methods and apparatus used in the making of and the preparation of carboxymethylcellulose. What Applicant has invented and disclosed is certainly very useful and is a significant advance over the prior art of gelling alcoholic beverages.
Ethyl alcohol which is less than substantially 100% by volume and the products made therefrom, as far as applicant is aware, have never been made in molded, gelled, or syrup form while maintaining substantially the same proof and flavor. It is widely acknowledged that the liquor industry is in need of new products and is in need of new markets for the products. Notwithstanding such needs, the industry has not been able to produce new forms of ethyl alcoholic products so that such new market areas can be exploited.
It should be noted that in the products literature such as Hercules.RTM. CELLULOSE GUM Sodium Carboxymethylcellulose, Chemical and Physical Properties; Hercules Incorporated, 1984, wherein many uses are proposed by the supplier. Among the cellulose derivatives useful in the food industry the carboxymethylcellulose (CMC) is of the major importance. Carboxymethylcellulose finds many food application: it is often used as an ingredient in ice cream stabilizers, in dairy substitutes, in puddings, frozen foods, in citrus fruit concentrates, sauces and gravies, and in baked items. In food preservation the film-forming capability of CMC solutions is applied in meats and fish products. CMC is also a good encapsulating agent for emulsifying fats and oils.
The carboxymethylcellulose is generally recognized as safe (GRAS) in foods. There are a number of standardized foods which permit the use of CMC without further ingredient declaration. If label statements are made, the terms "cellulose gum" or "sodium carboxymethylcellulose" are appropriate for use. Thus, where products for human consumption are involved, it is acceptable to use the above terms without any further detail relative to the chemical composition of the product CMC.
There is no hint or suggestion in the CMC product literature to use CMC in combination with ethyl alcoholic beverage products to change the form of the product from a beverage to another form such as syrup, gell, spread etc. Given the size of the liquor beverage market, suppliers of CMC would have a sincere interest in providing the product CMC to the liquor industry.
Applicant has provided herewith a copy of a piece of product literature which describes the CMC in detail. Such literature provided is incorporated herein and made a part of this disclosure.